That Darn Grass!!!



This is what is supposed to be my strawberry patch.
You can hardly even see the rock border for all the grass.



One of the biggest projects I have been working on this spring is something I call 'border control'.  All around my yard are rocks or curbing, bordering different flower beds or berry patches.  When I am able to keep the weeds out of the beds, these borders look so beautiful and tidy.  But this spring there is grass everywhere- invading all of my borders and plaguing my life.  Grass is so hard to pull out, and even after you work your fingers to the bone to get it out, it still grows back, mocking you and tormenting you.   The darn grass thrives in places where it is not meant to be, but then is patchy in the lawn where it is supposed to be.



Starting to pull the grass out of the euonymous and berry patch.
Newspaper is laid down, then bark mulch.



So I have been working my guts out pulling grass out of what should be my strawberry patch.  I am tempted to dig it all up and start from scratch.  But I will try one last resort.  I am pulling as much of the grass out that I can stand to.  Then I lay either paper grocery bags or newspaper or cardboard down on top of the soil.  (These will eventually decompose into the soil.)  Then I will cover the paper with four or five inches of bark mulch.  This will hopefully smother out the grass and weeds that grow there uninvited. I am also removing the rocks that border my strawberry patch replacing them with bigger rocks that I bury deeper and that also stand taller out of the ground.  Grass roots grow down about 3 or 4 inches and so I am placing the rocks down deeper than that, about 5 or 6 inches, so as to block the roots from spreading into the berry patch.  Now I will be more diligent in keeping the grass trimmed so that it does not spread above ground too.



I will still plant at least a dozen new plants in the patch this year to keep the berries coming.  I will also add compost to the soil as well as fertilizing with the special berry mix (1/3 ammonium sulfate, 1/3 Miracle Grow Azalea Food, and 1/3 Ironite) before I cover with paper and mulch. 



Finally, the euonymous is revealed.  The bark mulch dresses up
the bed making it look much nicer.  To the left begins
the strawberry patch.  So much work!!



I hope and pray that this works or I will have to take more drastic measures- like starting all over, which I really do not want to do.  I hate that dang, pesky, bothersome grass.  If my husband, Mike would let me I would get rid of the lawn in the back yard all together.  But he is not easy to convince.  Grass is definitely a good choice of turf when children are afoot for picnics or baseball or tag.  So it stays for now, or at least until I can find a better option.